=head1 NAME ranger - visual file manager =head1 SYNOPSIS B [B<--help>] [B<--version>] [B<--debug>] [B<--clean>] [B<--list-unused-keys>] [B<--fail-unless-cd>] [B<--choosedir>=I] [B<--choosefile>=I] [B<--copy-config>=I] [B<--mode>=I] [B<--flags>=I] [I] =head1 DESCRIPTION ranger is a console file manager with VI key bindings. It provides a minimalistic and nice curses interface with a view on the directory hierarchy. The secondary task of ranger is to figure out which program you want to use to open your files with. This manual mainly contains information on the usage of ranger. Refer to the F for install instructions and to F for development specific information. For configuration, see the files in F. They are usually installed to F and can be obtained with ranger's --copy-config option. Inside ranger, you can press I<1?> for a list of key bindings, I<2?> for a list of commands and I<3?> for a list of settings. =head1 OPTIONS =over 14 =item B<-d>, B<--debug> Activate the debug mode: Whenever an error occurs, ranger will exit and print a full traceback. The default behavior is to merely print the name of the exception in the statusbar/log and try to keep running. =item B<-c>, B<--clean> Activate the clean mode: ranger will not access or create any configuration files nor will it leave any traces on your system. This is useful when your configuration is broken, when you want to avoid clutter, etc. =item B<--choosefile>=I Allows you to pick a file with ranger. This changes the behavior so that when you open a file, ranger will exit and write the absolute path of that file into I. =item B<--choosefiles>=I Allows you to pick multiple files with ranger. This changes the behavior so that when you open a file, ranger will exit and write the absolute paths of all selected files into I, adding one newline after each filename. =item B<--choosedir>=I Allows you to pick a directory with ranger. When you exit ranger, it will write the last visited directory into I. =item B<--selectfile>=I Open ranger with I selected. =item B<--copy-config>=I Create copies of the default configuration files in your local configuration directory. Existing ones will not be overwritten. Possible values: I, I, I, I. =item B<--list-unused-keys> List common keys which are not bound to any action in the "browser" context. This list is not complete, you can bind any key that is supported by curses: use the key code returned by C. =item B<--list-tagged-files>=I List all files which are tagged with the given tag. Note: Tags are single characters. The default tag is "*" =item B<--fail-unless-cd> Return the exit code 1 if ranger is used to run a file instead of used for file browsing. (For example, "ranger --fail-unless-cd test.txt" returns 1.) =item B<-m> I, B<--mode>=I When a filename is supplied, run it in mode I. This has no effect unless the execution of this file type is explicitly handled in the configuration. =item B<-f> I, B<--flags>=I When a filename is supplied, run it with the given I to modify behavior. The execution of this file type is explicitly handled in the configuration. =item B<--cmd>=I Execute the command after the configuration has been read. Use this option multiple times to run multiple commands. =item B<--version> Print the version and exit. =item B<-h>, B<--help> Print a list of options and exit. =back =head1 CONCEPTS This part explains how certain parts of ranger work and how they can be used efficiently. =head2 TAGS Tags are single characters which are displayed left of a filename. You can use tags however you want. Press "t" to toggle tags and "T" to remove any tags of the selection. The default tag is an Asterisk ("*"), but you can use any tag by typing I<">. =head2 PREVIEWS By default, only text files are previewed, but you can enable external preview scripts by setting the option C and C to True. This default script is F<~/.config/ranger/scope.sh>. It contains more documentation and calls to the programs I and I for html, I for text/code, I for images, I for archives, I for PDFs and I for video and audio files. Install these programs (just the ones you need) and scope.sh will automatically use them. =head2 SELECTION The I is defined as "All marked files IF THERE ARE ANY, otherwise the current file." Be aware of this when using the :delete command, which deletes all files in the selection. You can mark files by pressing , v, etc. A yellow B symbol at the bottom right indicates that there are marked files in this directory. =head2 MACROS Macros can be used in commands to abbreviate things. %f the highlighted file %d the path of the current directory %s the selected files in the current directory. %t all tagged files in the current directory %c the full paths of the currently copied/cut files The macros %f, %d and %s also have upper case variants, %F, %D and %S, which refer to the next tab. To refer to specific tabs, add a number in between. (%7s = selection of the seventh tab.) %c is the only macro which ranges out of the current directory. So you may "abuse" the copying function for other purposes, like diffing two files which are in different directories: Yank the file A (type yy), move to the file B, then type @diff %c %f Macros for file paths are generally shell-escaped so they can be used in the C command. =head2 BOOKMARKS Type B> to bookmark the current directory. You can re-enter this directory by typing B<`>. can be any letter or digit. Unlike vim, both lowercase and uppercase bookmarks are persistent. Each time you jump to a bookmark, the special bookmark at key ` will be set to the last directory. So typing "``" gets you back to where you were before. Bookmarks are selectable when tabbing in the :cd command. Note: The bookmarks ' (Apostrophe) and ` (Backtick) are the same. =head2 RIFLE Rifle is the file opener of ranger. It can be used as a standalone program or a python module. It is located at F. In contrast to other, more simple file openers, rifle can automatically find installed programs so it can be used effectively out of the box on a variety of systems. It's configured in F through a list of conditions and commands. For each line the conditions are checked and if they are met, the respective command is taken into consideration. By default, simply the first matching rule is used. In ranger, you can list and choose rules by typing "r" or simply by typing "". If you use rifle standalone, you can list all rules with the "-l" option and pick a rule with "-p ". The rules, along with further documentation, are contained in F. =head2 FLAGS Flags give you a way to modify the behavior of the spawned process. They are used in the commands C<:open_with> (key "r") and C<:shell> (key "!"). f Fork the process. (Run in background) c Run the current file only, instead of the selection r Run application with root privilege (requires sudo) t Run application in a new terminal window There are some additional flags that can currently be used only in the C command: (for example C<:shell -w df>) p Redirect output to the pager s Silent mode. Output will be discarded. w Wait for an Enter-press when the process is done By default, all the flags are off unless specified otherwise in the F configuration file. You can specify as many flags as you want. An uppercase flag negates the effect: "ffcccFsf" is equivalent to "cs". The terminal program name for the "t" flag is taken from the environment variable $TERMCMD. If it doesn't exist, it tries to extract it from $TERM and uses "xterm" as a fallback if that fails. Examples: C<:open_with c> will open the file that you currently point at, even if you have selected other files. C<:shell -w df> will run "df" and wait for you to press Enter before switching back to ranger. =head2 PLUGINS ranger's plugin system consists of python files which are located in F<~/.config/ranger/plugins/> and are imported in alphabetical order when starting ranger. A plugin changes rangers behavior by overwriting or extending a function that ranger uses. This allows you to change pretty much every part of ranger, but there is no guarantee that things will continue to work in future versions as the source code evolves. There are some hooks that are specifically made for the use in plugins. They are functions that start with hook_ and can be found throughout the code. grep 'def hook_' -r /path/to/rangers/source Also try: pydoc ranger.api Note that you should NOT simply overwrite a function unless you know what you're doing. Instead, save the existing function and call it from your new one. This way, multiple plugins can use the same hook. There are several sample plugins in the F directory, including a hello-world plugin that describes this procedure. =head1 KEY BINDINGS Key bindings are defined in the file F. Check this file for a list of all key bindings. You can copy it to your local configuration directory with the --copy-config=rc option. Many key bindings take an additional numeric argument. Type I<5j> to move down 5 lines, I<2l> to open a file in mode 2, I<10> to mark 10 files. This list contains the most useful bindings: =head2 MAIN BINDINGS =over 14 =item h, j, k, l Move left, down, up or right =item ^D or J, ^U or K Move a half page down, up =item H, L Move back and forward in the history =item gg Move to the top =item G Move to the bottom =item ^R Reload everything =item ^L Redraw the screen =item S Open a shell in the current directory =item ? Opens this man page =item yy Yank the selection to the "copy" buffer and mark them as to be copied =item dd Cut the selection to the "copy" buffer and mark them as to be moved =item pp Paste the files from the "copy" buffer here (by moving or copying, depending on how they are marked.) By default, this will not overwrite existing files. To overwrite them, use I. =item mI Create a bookmark with the name I =item `I Move to the bookmark with the name I =item n, N Find the next file. By default, this gets you to the newest file in the directory, but if you search something using the keys /, cm, ct, ..., it will get you to the next found entry. =item N Find the previous file. =item oI Change the sort method (like in mutt) =item zI Change settings. See the settings section for a list of settings and their hotkey. =item f Quickly navigate by entering a part of the filename. =item Space Mark a file. =item v Toggle the mark-status of all files, unmark all files. =item V, uv Unmark all files =item / Search for files in the current directory. =item : Open the console. =item Alt-I Open a tab. N has to be a number from 0 to 9. If the tab doesn't exist yet, it will be created. =item gn, ^N Create a new tab. =item gt, gT Go to the next or previous tab. You can also use TAB and SHIFT+TAB instead. =item gc, ^W Close the current tab. The last tab cannot be closed this way. =back =head2 MIDNIGHT COMMANDER-LIKE BINDINGS =over 14 =item Display Help. =item Display the file. =item Edit the file. =item Copy the file. =item Cut the file. =item Open the console with ":mkdir ". =item Prompt for deletion of the selected files. =item Exit ranger. =back =head2 READLINE-LIKE BINDINGS IN THE CONSOLE =over 14 =item ^B, ^F Move left and right (B for back, F for forward) =item ^P, ^N Move up and down (P for previous, N for Next) =item ^A, ^E Move to the start or to the end =item ^D Delete the current character. =item ^H Backspace. =back =head1 MOUSE BUTTONS =over =item Left Mouse Button Click on something and you'll move there. To run a file, "enter" it, like a directory, by clicking on the preview. =item Right Mouse Button Enter a directory or run a file. =item Scroll Wheel Scrolls up or down. You can point at the column of the parent directory while scrolling to switch directories. =back =head1 SETTINGS This section lists all built-in settings of ranger. The valid types for the value are in [brackets]. The hotkey to toggle the setting is in , if a hotkey exists. Settings can be changed in the file F<~/.config/ranger/rc.conf> or on the fly with the command B<:set option value>. Examples: set column_ratios 1,2,3 set show_hidden true The different types of settings and an example for each type: setting type | example values ---------------+---------------------------- bool | true, false integer | 1, 23, 1337 string | foo, hello world list | 1,2,3,4 none | none You can view a list of all settings and their current values by pressing "3?" in ranger. =over =item autosave_bookmarks [bool] Save bookmarks (used with mX and `X) instantly? This helps to synchronize bookmarks between multiple ranger instances but leads to *slight* performance loss. When false, bookmarks are saved when ranger is exited. =item autoupdate_cumulative_size [bool] You can display the "real" cumulative size of directories by using the command :get_cumulative_size or typing "dc". The size is expensive to calculate and will not be updated automatically. You can choose to update it automatically though by turning on this option. =item collapse_preview [bool] When no preview is visible, should the last column be squeezed to make use of the whitespace? =item colorscheme [string] Which colorscheme to use? These colorschemes are available by default: B, B, B. Snow is a monochrome scheme, jungle replaces blue directories with green ones for better visibility on certain terminals. =item column_ratios [list] How many columns are there, and what are their relative widths? For example, a value of 1,1,1 would mean 3 evenly sized columns. 1,1,1,1,4 means 5 columns with the preview column being as large as the other columns combined. =item confirm_on_delete [string] Ask for a confirmation when running the "delete" command? Valid values are "always" (default), "never", "multiple". With "multiple", ranger will ask only if you delete multiple files at once. =item dirname_in_tabs [bool] Display the directory name in tabs? =item display_size_in_main_column [bool] Display the file size in the main column? =item display_size_in_status_bar [bool] Display the file size in the status bar? =item display_tags_in_all_columns [bool] Display tags in all columns? =item draw_borders [bool] Draw borders around columns? =item draw_progress_bar_in_statusbar [bool] Draw a progress bar in the status bar which displays the average state of all currently running tasks which support progress bars? =item flushinput [bool] Flush the input after each key hit? One advantage is that when scrolling down with "j", ranger stops scrolling instantly when you release the key. One disadvantage is that when you type commands blindly, some keys might get lost. =item hidden_filter [string] A regular expression pattern for files which should be hidden. For example, this pattern will hide all files that start with a dot or end with a tilde. set hidden_filter ^\.|~$ =item max_console_history_size [integer, none] How many console commands should be kept in history? "none" will disable the limit. =item max_history_size [integer, none] How many directory changes should be kept in history? =item mouse_enabled [bool] Enable mouse input? =item padding_right [bool] When collapse_preview is on and there is no preview, should there remain a little padding on the right? This allows you to click into that space to run the file. =item preview_directories [bool] Preview directories in the preview column? =item preview_files [bool] Preview files in the preview column? =item preview_script [string, none] Which script should handle generating previews? If the file doesn't exist, or use_preview_script is off, ranger will handle previews itself by just printing the content. =item save_console_history [bool] Should the console history be saved on exit? If disabled, the console history is reset when you restart ranger. =item scroll_offset [integer] Try to keep this much space between the top/bottom border when scrolling. =item shorten_title [integer, bool] Trim the title of the window if it gets long? The number defines how many directories are displayed at once, False turns off this feature. =item show_cursor [bool] Always show the terminal cursor? =item show_hidden_bookmarks [bool] Show dotfiles in the bookmark preview window? (Type ') =item show_hidden [bool] , <^H> Show hidden files? =item sort_case_insensitive [bool] Sort case-insensitively? If true, "a" will be listed before "B" even though its ASCII value is higher. =item sort_directories_first [bool] Sort directories first? =item sort_reverse [bool] Reverse the order of files? =item sort [string] , , , , , , Which sorting mechanism should be used? Choose one of B, B, B, B, B, B, B Note: You can reverse the order by using an uppercase O in the key combination. =item tilde_in_titlebar [bool] Abbreviate $HOME with ~ in the title bar (first line) of ranger? =item unicode_ellipsis [bool] Use a unicode "..." character instead of "~" to mark cut-off filenames? =item update_title [bool] Set a window title? =item update_tmux_title [bool] Set the title to "ranger" in the tmux program? =item use_preview_script [bool] Use the preview script defined in the setting I? =item xterm_alt_key [bool] Enable this if key combinations with the Alt Key don't work for you. (Especially on xterm) =back =head1 COMMANDS You can enter the commands in the console which is opened by pressing ":". You can always get a list of the currently existing commands by typing "2?" in ranger. For your convenience, this is a list of the "public" commands including their parameters, excluding descriptions: alias [newcommand] [oldcommand] bulkrename cd [directory] chain command1[; command2[; command3...]] chmod octal_number cmap key command console [-pSTARTPOSITION] command copycmap key newkey [newkey2...] copymap key newkey [newkey2...] copypmap key newkey [newkey2...] copytmap key newkey [newkey2...] cunmap keys... delete [confirmation] edit [filename] eval [-q] python_code filter [string] find pattern grep pattern load_copy_buffer map key command mark pattern mkdir dirname open_with [application] [flags] [mode] pmap key command punmap keys... quit quit! relink newpath rename newname save_copy_buffer search pattern search_inc pattern set option value setlocal [path=] option value shell [-FLAGS] command terminal tmap key command touch filename tunmap keys... unmap keys... unmark pattern There are additional commands which are directly translated to python functions, one for every method in the ranger.core.actions.Actions class. They are not documented here, since they are mostly for key bindings, not to be typed in by a user. Read the source if you are interested in them. These are the public commands including their descriptions: =over 2 =item alias [I] [I] Copies the oldcommand as newcommand. =item bulkrename This command opens a list of selected files in an external editor. After you edit and save the file, it will generate a shell script which does bulk renaming according to the changes you did in the file. This shell script is opened in an editor for you to review. After you close it, it will be executed. =item cd [I] The cd command changes the directory. The command C<:cd -> is equivalent to typing ``. =item chain I[; I[; I...]] Combines multiple commands into one, separated by semicolons. =item chmod I Sets the permissions of the selection to the octal number. The octal number is between 000 and 777. The digits specify the permissions for the user, the group and others. A 1 permits execution, a 2 permits writing, a 4 permits reading. Add those numbers to combine them. So a 7 permits everything. Key bindings in the form of [-+] and = also exist. For example, B<+ar> allows reading for everyone, -ow forbids others to write and =777 allows everything. See also: man 1 chmod =item cmap I I Binds keys for the console. Works like the C command. =item console [-pI] I Opens the console with the command already typed in. The cursor is placed at I. =item copycmap I I [I ...] See C =item copymap I I [I ...] Copies the keybinding I to I in the "browser" context. This is a deep copy, so if you change the new binding (or parts of it) later, the old one is not modified. To copy key bindings of the console, taskview, or pager use "copycmap", "copytmap" or "copypmap". =item copypmap I I [I ...] See C =item copytmap I I [I ...] See C =item cunmap [I] Removes key mappings of the console. Works like the C command. =item delete [I] Destroy all files in the selection with a roundhouse kick. ranger will ask for a confirmation if you attempt to delete multiple (marked) files or non-empty directories. When asking for confirmation, this command will only proceed if the last given word starts with a `y'. =item edit [I] Edit the current file or the file in the argument. =item eval [I<-q>] I Evaluates the python code. `fm' is a reference to the FM instance. To display text, use the function `p'. The result is displayed on the screen unless you use the "-q" option. Examples: :eval fm :eval len(fm.env.directories) :eval p("Hello World!") =item filter [I] Displays only the files which contain the I in their basename. Running this command without any parameter will reset the fitler. =item find I Search files in the current directory that match the given (case-insensitive) regular expression pattern as you type. Once there is an unambiguous result, it will be run immediately. (Or entered, if it's a directory.) =item grep I Looks for a string in all marked files or directories. =item load_copy_buffer Load the copy buffer from F<~/.config/ranger/copy_buffer>. This can be used to pass the list of copied files to another ranger instance. =item map I I Assign the key combination to the given command. Whenever you type the key/keys, the command will be executed. Additionally, if you use a quantifier when typing the key, like 5j, it will be passed to the command as the attribute "self.quantifier". The keys you bind with this command are accessible in the file browser only, not in the console, task view or pager. To bind keys there, use the commands "cmap", "tmap" or "pmap". =item mark I Mark all files matching the regular expression pattern. =item mkdir I Creates a directory with the name I. =item open_with [I] [I] [I] Open the selected files with the given application, unless it is omitted, in which case the default application is used. I are characters out of "sdpcwSDPCW" and I is any positive integer. Their meanings are discussed in their own sections. =item pmap I I Binds keys for the pager. Works like the C command. =item punmap [I] Removes key mappings of the pager. Works like the C command. =item quit Like quit!, but closes only this tab if multiple tabs are open. =item quit! Quit ranger. The current directory will be bookmarked as ' so you can re-enter it by typing `` or '' the next time you start ranger. =item relink I Change the link destination of the current symlink file to . First will load the original link. =item rename I Rename the current file. If a file with that name already exists, the renaming will fail. Also try the key binding A for appending something to a file name. =item save_copy_buffer Save the copy buffer from I<~/.config/ranger/copy_buffer>. This can be used to pass the list of copied files to another ranger instance. =item search I Search files in the current directory that match the given (case insensitive) regular expression pattern. =item search_inc I Search files in the current directory that match the given (case insensitive) regular expression pattern. This command gets you to matching files as you type. =item set I